2010 Chachi #64 Phillies NLDS Clincher HL

I knew all the so-called experts were picking the Phillies to roll over the Reds in the NLDS, and that worried me a little.  I was concerned about the best offense in the National League being able to find pitches to hit against the Phillies' Big 3.  Little did I know at the time that the Phillies' pitching would limit the Reds to just 11 hits and 4 runs during the 3-game sweep.  The mighty Reds hit a combined .124 in the series, which is a huge testament to the strength of the Phillies' staff.  Here's how it breaks down, as the Phillies swept a Postseason series for the first time in their history:

Reds vs. Roy Halladay & Cole Hamels - 5 for 58 (.087 average) with no runs scored and 17 strikeouts
Reds vs. Roy Oswalt - 5 for 21 (.238 average) with three earned runs and five strikeouts
Reds vs. Phillies bullpen - 1 for 10 (.100 average) with no runs scored and two strikeouts

I've decided not to worry about the lack of Phillies' offense (he types

tentatively).  As a team, the Phils hit .212 over the three games with just one home run and three doubles.  The lack of offense was almost a forgotten story given the pitching dominance of Halladay and Hamels, coupled with the Reds' defensive meltdown in Game 2.  However, in order for the Phillies to succeed against the Braves or Giants and advance to the World Series, the bats need to come to life.

Tweet of the Night:  Courtesy of Todd Zolecki - Phillies allowed just 11 hits in the series to set a Division Series record. Yankees allowed 13 hits in a sweep vs. Texas in 1998 ALDS.

Just Imagine:  How about a Phillies-Rangers World Series Game 1 match-up of Halladay against Cliff Lee? I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but wouldn't that be cool?

This Week:  The Phillies Room will be resting for the NLCS.  We'll have daily work-outs and there will be the mandatory Q&A sessions with the ever-present media.  We may even have a few intra-squad games just to keep everyone fresh.  When the mood strikes, time permitting, I still want to post the remaining 2010 Chachi cards that haven't been publicly displayed yet.  (I know everyone's waiting for the Brian Bocock card.)